It's hard to explain the feelings you have as a professional pilot when you find out a plane has crashed. Your first reaction is what happened and what can we do as pilots to prevent it from happening in the future. On 9/11/01 when I watched the horror unfold on the TODAY show, my initial reaction was of shock. I said to myself, "I can't believe on such a beautiful day that a pilot could have made such a grave mistake to hit the world trade center." I said "that pilot must have had a heart attack or the wind blew that airplane into the tower!" The moment I watched on live TV when United flight 175 crashed into the south tower is when I realized that my profession and my country were under attack.
The events of 9/11 were horrific but as an airline pilot, I would not allow it to deter me from the job I loved. The days following the attacks, I was glued to the television just like everyone else in our country following every news channel there was. I was praying that people survived and then I was wondering what my profession was going to be like when I returned. Would there be new security procedures? Would we ever get the planes booked again? Is the airline business ever going to recover?
My first day back in the Newark terminal had mixed emotions. I was nervous to be flying again after these attacks but I had an extreme amount of pride to be a part of a small community of people who would make a difference. I said to myself "Our profession lost 4 professional crews (both pilots and flight attendants) to this attack and we will never forget." During that first day back to work, I spent the morning at the airport greeting our passengers along with other co-workers and thanking them for flying. We applauded them for having the courage to join us today and we shook each passengers hand as they passed. Some had tears in their eyes, others thanked us for supporting them but it was no doubt one of the most emotional days for me following the 9/11 attacks.
That afternoon, while preparing for our first flight after the attacks, we checked every compartment, every seat back, every panel and every open space in that aircraft for any foreign materials (knives, guns, etc..). We greeted every passenger (all 2 of them on my first flight back) for weeks after the attacks, looked each one in the eyes, shook their hands and welcomed them aboard our aircraft. We took short trips through our cabins before push back to see if anyone looked suspicious and we took every unusual event in the cabin a bit more seriously. It was a time of heightened security but it was also a time of extreme pride for myself and other pilots to help this country return to flying. We would not let them win.
It's been 10 years and 10 anniversaries since 9/11/01 and while most pilots have flown through September 11th many times, this day is different. To me, this day 10 years later is another day of pride. Just like the days, weeks and years following the attacks, the pilots flying for US airlines will take to the skies today to fly their schedule. Some will be flying the very flights that were attacked 10 years ago. Some, like me, will be flying out of Newark Airport (the originating airport for United Flight 93) and some of our pilots will be attending memorials to remember the people who were killed on 9/11/01. It's my guess that all US airline pilots will take a moment to remember our brothers and sisters who were lost to a deadly hijacking tomorrow in their own special way.
For me, I'll be flying from Newark to LA today. I have an extreme amount of pride to be able to fly to LAX 10 years later because 3 of the 4 flights hijacked on 9/11/01 were destined from the east coast (Boston and Dulles) to LAX (United Flight 175, American Flight 77 and American Flight 11) and United flight 93 originated in Newark destined for San Francisco. All 4 flights were large transport commercial airliners from the east coast to the west coast of the United States. On a normal day, flying to the west coast is a beautiful experience from the flight deck. You fly from NYC over the midwest, you approach the awe inspiring Rockies, the deserts of the west and the mountains of California before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The scenery is beautiful each and every time I fly it and seeing landmarks like the grand canyon never gets old.
For those of you who are remembering 9/11 today, thank you. My fellow crew and I will never forget the day that changed our profession and the lives of countless people but I can assure anyone reading this today that we will never forget. We will continue to fly our aircraft with pride while remembering those who came before us. I for one am proud to be an American today and will do my small part to continue to help our country recover. My flight today is dedicated to the lives lost on 9/11 and especially the flight crews of
United 93 - The seven crew members were Captain Jason Dahl, First Officer LeRoy Homer, Jr., and flight attendants Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, and Deborah Welsh.
United 175 - The nine crew members included pilot Victor Saracini, First Officer Michael Horrocks, and flight attendants Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn Laborie, Alfred Marchand, Michael Tarrou, and Alicia Titus.
American 77 - The flight crew included pilot Charles Burlingame, First Officer David Charlebois, and flight attendants Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, and Renee May.
American 11 - The 11 crew members included pilot John Ogonowski, First Officer Thomas McGuinness, and flight attendants Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean Roger, Dianne Snyder, and Madeline Sweeney.
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